Syria and the International Tribunal
Walid Choucair Al-Hayat - 08/07/06//
Syria's rivals in Lebanon attribute many of the pro-Syrian campaigns (launched since the Syrian army evacuated Lebanon on April 26, 2005) against the ruling majority and the government, and the obstacles facing Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's administration - obstacles aimed at paralyzing it - to Damascus' apprehension over the planned international tribunal's hearings of those accused of assassinating former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
The majority of the Lebanese parties believe that Syria will never rest as long as the UN Resolution 1644 of December 15, 2005, to form an international tribunal is being continuously followed up and discussed between the UN and the Lebanese authorities.
There is set of facts to prove that Damascus will not accept such a tribunal, and that it will diligently try to avoid the ratification of its establishment. This leads one to conclude that the convictions of the Lebanese majority about Syria's behavior are close to the truth.
Here are some of the facts, a number of them known, and others not so well known:
1 - President Bashar Al-Assad told Al-Hayat in an interview on June 26: "How can they form a tribunal when the investigation is still ongoing and there are no facts to build anything on? The objective is political and the game is clear."
2 - A number of Damascus' allies, not least former minister Sleiman Frangieh and Wiam Wahhab, have declared on many occasions, each in his own way, that there is no need for an international tribunal. The first excuse given is that the tribunal will cost too much, and the second is that the Lebanese courts are competent enough to try those accused of the crime. These two figures in Lebanon today are the most open and most clear in voicing the truth of Damascus' stance, especially since they repeat what they say about Syria's attitude time and time again. Perhaps this is why the Lebanese majority believes that the fuss and incidents these two are responsible for aim to stir up chaos in Lebanon. Among these incidents are Sleiman Frangieh's criticism of Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfier and the head of the Future Movement Bloc, MP Sa'ad Hariri; and Wiam Wahhab's bodyguards' use of firearms on Walid Jumblatt's supporters. These incidents are meant to stop the government's attempt to seal an agreement with the UN on the tribunal's system, an agreement that could be reached in less than two months.
3 - During the deliberations for Resolution 1644 and after, Syria previously proposed that any Syrian suspects be tried on Syrian territory by Syrian law. This is what President Bashar Al-Assad expressed in his interview with 'Al-Hayat', when he said that any Syrian implicated in the crime is a traitor and will be punished by Syrian law, which is very harsh, before he is extradited. The Syrians also proposed, in the cloistered corridors of the UN, that a clause be added to the international tribunal system that stipulates that Syrian law become applicable if a Syrian suspect stands trial. Syria then proposed that Syrian judges be included in the tribunal, again in the event of Syrian suspects being tried. These proposals, however, did not meet with a favorable reaction in December of last year.
4 - Some Syrian officials have informed a number of their visitors, some of whom are their allies, that there will be problems when setting up the international tribunal.
With the current situation in the region, the idea of an international tribunal may fall by the wayside, especially since there are preparations for a US-Iranian dialogue. Meanwhile, however, the leaders of the Lebanese majority are certain that there is a definite European-American decision to establish the international tribunal. Their information is based on what they are told by the leaders and other high officials of these countries. It seems that both sides are confident in their own way of the way events are heading.
This confidence could very well be more than enough to explain what is going on.
|
